New Japanese imperial era ‘Reiwa’
#新元号 #Reiwa #令和
Japan declared on Monday the name of its new imperial era when Crown Prince Naruhito becomes emperor on May 1, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying it emphasized traditional values at a turning point in the nation’s history.
What is the imperial era? and what is the significance of it?
The Japanese era name (年号 nengō, “year name”), also known as gengō (元号), is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element, a number, counts the years from the first year of the era.
Japan imported the imperial calendar system from China about 1,300 years ago. Starting with the Meiji era (1868–1912), it adopted the practice of “one emperor, one era name.” Previously, era names were sometimes changed mid-reign, such as after disasters.
There have been four era names in the modern period: Meiji, Taisho (1912–1926), Showa (1926–1989) and the current Heisei. There were calls to abolish the system after Japan’s 1945 defeat in World War Two, but a law enacted in 1979 after a push by conservatives gave it new legal basis.
The imperial era name, or “gengo”, is used on documents, newspapers, calendars, and coins. It is the way many Japanese count years, although the use of the Western calendar is becoming more widespread, and many use the two systems interchangeably.
In principle, the government seeks to choose a name that is composed of two Chinese characters, or kanji in Japanese and carries a positive meaning appropriate to the ideals of the people. It should also be easy to write and read, not commonly used and not used in previous era names.
The Cabinet of Abe decided the new era name after hearing the opinions of nine experts from media, business, academia, and other circles. Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2012 for developing so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, was among them.
Gengo is usually announced after the accession of the new monarch. But with Emperor Akihito stepping down on April 30 as the first Japanese monarch to do so in about 200 years, the government decided to unveil the new era name prior to the imperial succession to minimize disruption caused by the calendar change.
The current Heisei era, which means “achieving peace,” commenced on Jan. 8, 1989, the day after Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, died.
Japan is the only country in the world that currently operates under the era name system, which has its roots in China, although it also commonly uses the Gregorian calendar.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe says at the press conference: — Reiwa refers to people coming together beautifully — Era name from Japanese classic shows focus on traditional values — Gov’t picks Reiwa so that Japanese have hope for tomorrow. The name emphasizes the beauty of Japan’s traditional culture and a future in which everyone would be able to achieve their dreams, especially young people, “The name Reiwa means that culture is born and grows when people come together and care for each other beautifully,” Abe said.
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